Typical utility distribution network analysis technologies generally use primitive mechanisms to map how each meter in a given system or portion thereof is assigned to the various power transformers in the system. This is true even though it may be very beneficial (for purposes of billing, troubleshooting, or load evaluation and distribution map planning, for instance) for the utility provider to be able to identify the power transformer to which a particular meter is mapped, associated, assigned, or otherwise coupled. In an electric power distribution system such as those operated by many utility companies, the meter generally measures electric power delivered by the utility provider, so such mapping of meters to power transformers can represent vital information under various circumstances (in the event of an outage, for instance, in which case knowledge of a transformer failure can provide an indication of how many meters or customers are affected). For example, meter-transformer topology may be used when calculating an electric load on the distribution grid—in such situations, errors in the topology may result in errors in the load calculation. Even in the context of measuring or quantifying other metered utilities, such as water, natural gas, or telephone services, for instance, it may be true that the meter itself is receiving the utility from a distribution node such as a transformer for electricity or a pressure regulator/pump for water or gas, so mapping or assigning meters to distribution nodes may have beneficial results in these applications as well.
Specifically, an industry-wide problem facing utility providers is the identification and correction of erroneous mapping of customer-to-transformer (or meter-to-transformer) relationships. A mismatch (or “misassociation”) between what is recorded in the utility provider's computer systems versus what actually exists in the field may cause problems in various processes. For example, a meter may become disconnected from a respective transformer during a storm. In the reconnection process (where the emphasis is on restoration of power quickly), a meter may be reconnected to a different transformer. The correct meter-transformer association may not be recorded at the time of reconnection in such exigent circumstances. In such situations, although the connection in the field has changed, the meter-transformer association in the utility provider's computer systems has not been changed to reflect a new association. In addition to current misassociations that render the utility provider's records inaccurate, there may also be transformers present in the field that have never been documented, recorded, logged, or otherwise recognized by the utility provider's system. Such errors are typically identified and resolved passively through post-outage analysis or proactively through mapping tools; in either case, these remediation approaches are manual in nature and thus require human intervention and much effort, and in some cases can even require field visits.